


Another Heart Robbery

by Annide



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [20]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Things Happen Bingo, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Thief Carlos Reyes, be gay do crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide
Summary: When the building he's robbing catches fire, Carlos thinks he's the most unlucky man on Earth. Then comes a very handsome firefighter.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667122
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	Another Heart Robbery

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo: Slammed Into A Wall

Carlos was starting to think he just had the worst luck. How else would he have ended up being best friends with a paramedic? As much as he loved Michelle, the fact that he had to call her charitable group for help often enough that he had developed a friendship with her, as it seemed she was always the one to respond, was not really something to be proud of. But it did come in handy to have her cell phone number and be able to reach her even when she wasn’t volunteering. She couldn’t come to him while she was working, but she could talk him through what to do.

He never got hurt that severely, it was mostly cuts and bruises, a few scrapes here and there, just bad luck. Some days he almost wanted to give up. It didn’t always feel worth it. He kept getting himself hurt and it was only a matter of time before he got caught. But he couldn’t. For one, every time he read news of another rich asshole profiting off of others, it put him in such a rage, it was all he could muster to stop himself from doing anything impulsive. For second, the rush he got from successfully stealing something was addictive. He could never let it go. And then there was that heartwarming feeling he got when he told a family they wouldn’t lose their house after all, or that they wouldn’t starve, or could cover those medical bills.

Today his bad luck had reached a new peak. It was the weekend, which meant that office building which shared a wall with the neighbouring hotel was empty. He’d used a ruse to make sure the security guard would leave him alone and infiltrated the place. His plan was foolproof. He would have all the time he needed to get in, cut through the wall into the hotel’s vault and steal the documents of a corrupt politician he intended on bringing down.

The vault is where he was when the fire started. So thankfully, he was safely in the neighbouring building. Except he didn’t have an exit on this side. He couldn’t very well open the vault’s door and walk straight out of there in a busy hotel. He gathered the documents, along with a few Krugerrands some CEO who underpaid his employees wouldn’t miss, and headed back toward the office building. Now, what were the chances that not only the empty building he was using for access would randomly catch on fire during his robbery, but also the fire would have reached where he was and blocked his exit out of there by the time he came out of the vault?

As if that wasn’t enough bad luck, Carlos came face to face with a firefighter when he crossed the wall back out of the vault and into the office. And just to make things worse, because the universe really seemed to have it out for him, that firefighter had the most handsome face he’d ever seen. Carlos almost forgot what he was doing as he got lost in those beautiful eyes. He forgot how bad the situation was, how he was just caught in the act during a fire that trapped them both there where they might very well die.

“Oh, I didn’t realise anyone was here. We were told the building was empty for the weekend, except for that one security guard.”

“Yeah, well, kinda why I’m here too.”

“Right. So I guess that fire ruined your plan. Or maybe not, looks like you got into the vault already.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“No? So you did not infiltrate this building in order to gain access to the hotel’s vault and steal stuff from it?”

“So, it is what you think, but I have good reasons. I don’t steal for myself, I promise. I mean, sometimes I do, but just enough to live off of. The rest is all for a good cause.”

“You’re that thief we’ve talked about. The Robin Hood kind of thief, the one who’s been stealing from rich jackasses and giving it to the needy. You’re much cuter than I pictured you.”

“You’ve heard about me?”

“You’re kinda clumsy, aren’t you?”

“You know Michelle. And I’m not clumsy, just low on luck.”

“Right, sure. Michelle and I belong to the same firehouse. She’s down there right now.”

A fit of coughing took over Carlos. It was really hot in here and it was getting hard to breathe. He was starting to worry he’d never make it out of there, but TK was still perfectly calm. He was standing there, no doubt hiding a great body under all that firefighting equipment. Carlos couldn’t believe he was trapped here with a man this attractive and he wouldn’t get a good glimpse before they both died.

“Come here, you can share my oxygen.”

TK pulled him closer and put a mask on his face. For a few moments, they breathed in sync together, silently. The fire was still burning around them, destroying everything. Carlos saw the damage to the ceiling first and pushed TK out of the way and into the wall right before it collapsed.

“Wow, you sure are strong. Thanks for the save.”

Carlos couldn’t believe what just happened. He had just saved that firefighter. The man was hotter than the fire and Carlos had saved him. He was standing very close to him, sharing his air, holding him against the wall away from the collapse. It made this entire situation worth it.

“I’m TK, by the way.” Was Carlos imagining things or did TK actually look down at his lips?

“Carlos.”

“Nice to meet you. Let me radio my team down there, they’ll help us get down.”

“Get down?” Carlos backed away from TK as he talked to his captain on the radio, suddenly brought back to reality by how screwed he was. “I can’t go down there, cops will be down there.”

“Well, you can’t stay in here, fire’s in here.”

“I can’t get arrested. What if I climb out the window up to the roof? Then I could get into one of the surrounding buildings and escape.”

“I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but that’s an insane idea. You could fall off the side, the roof could collapse under your feet, the fire could burst through the windows on your way. There are a million ways that could go wrong.”

“Sounds like you’re calling me reckless. I’m not. But I don’t have any other choice.”

“Yes, you do! You could let me carry you down safely.”

The idea of letting TK wrap his arms around him tightly and hold him while they rappelled to the ground was very appealing, but Carlos couldn’t stop thinking about the cops who would certainly have questions about what he was doing in that building. Without forgetting the fact TK had seen him get out of the vault. The risk of getting arrested was too high. And even if they didn’t now, they would soon realise what had happened. They would’ve seen his face.

Carlos broke the nearby window. He looked down, then up. He could do this. He could definitely do this. He hoped he could do this. He had to do this. Plus, there was the chance that if he could pull it off, TK would be impressed. Not that he would ever base his decisions on whether or not his actions would turn on a hot firefighter he’d just met. It was just a bonus.

After a long, deep breath, Carlos removed the oxygen mask from his face. Just as he started climbing out of the window, he felt a hand on his arm, holding him back. He turned back to lock eyes with TK. How could he ever stop staring into them? The man had such pretty eyes. It was hard to believe now was the time the universe had chosen for Carlos to meet the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen.

“Please, you can’t do this. It’s too dangerous.”

“If you knew me, you’d find the situation ironic. I’m usually the responsible one. I keep telling Michelle she shouldn’t go to the homeless camp under the bridge alone.”

“That’s good, she really should listen to you. Maybe if you went along with my plan and set an example, she’d be more inclined to do so.”

“You’re making an excellent argument there, I’ll give you that. But I really can’t risk it.” Carlos took TK’s hand off of him. “Hope we meet again.”

It worked. He climbed up the building no problem. Well, it was difficult, but he made it without anything TK warned him about happening. He looked down to see the firefighter hanging off the wall, all secured, ready to rappel down, but clearly waiting to see whether he’d make it up. The thought made Carlos smile. He kept going, all the way to the roof. He was almost on it when he slipped and fell. He hit the side of the bag, already blown on the ground. It stopped his fall, but he still rolled off of it. His arm caught in the string of his bag. The pain was bad enough for him to be certain he was hurt. Hurt and caught. As he lied there on the sidewalk, he could see a crowd forming around him, comprised mostly of firefighters, but also cops.

“I don’t know what you were trying to do there, or why you thought it would be a good idea, but I’m surprised TK didn’t stop you.”

Michelle was already kneeling down next to him to examine the damage.

“He tried.”

He didn’t know if it was because of the pain of the fall or the morphine Michelle gave him, but Carlos passed out right as they drove away from the scene. He woke up with one wrist handcuffed to a hospital bed, ink still visible on his fingers, and the other arm in a cast and sling. The cops had arrested and processed him while he was unconscious. He groaned in frustration and heard a laugh coming from the other side of the bed.

He turned to find TK, the gorgeous firefighter, sitting in the chair at his bedside. He looked even better now. He’d traded his turnout gear for black jeans and a button up shirt, but he still looked like the prettiest man he’d ever seen. And his hair. Carlos wished he could reach over there and run his hand through it, maybe stop at the base of his neck and pull him in for a kiss. But it was too far for now. And probably too soon.

“I told you, you were being reckless and stupid, and I know what I’m talking about.”

“Well, at least I got to see you again. And I was right too.”

“About what?”

“You really were hiding a great body under that turnout coat.”

“Seriously? That’s what you were thinking about while we were trapped up there surrounded by flames?”

“Among other things. I’m pretty good at multitasking, you know.”

“If you say so. And you don’t look too bad yourself for someone who just fell off a roof.”

TK smiled and Carlos got lost in his eyes for a minute. He could hardly believe this was happening. He’d had a meet cute in a fire with a hot firefighter who decided to come visit him in his free time. If it wasn’t for his hand cuffed to the bed’s railing, he’d think he was dreaming.

“I’m really happy you’re here, but why are you?”

“I was worried about you.”

“But we’ve just met.”

“I know, but I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

Was his heart beating faster? Was he visibly blushing? Carlos looked down and smiled, hardly able to hide how happy it made him to hear so. He’d made an impression, and not a bad one. TK had seen him come out of the vault, he knew who he was and yet, here he was, sitting at his bedside. When the nurse came in to check on his vitals, she said he was lucky, because TK wouldn’t leave his side, even when the police asked him too, he insisted to stay.

“Talking of the cops,” TK said once they were alone again, and Carlos was afraid that’s where the dream would end, “they found plaster and paint in your bag. What was it for?”

There was no reason for him to say anything. He barely knew TK, he shouldn’t be trusting him with information that could incriminate him further. After all, any evidence the cops had to tie him to the theft was circumstantial, he was in the building when the fire started, nothing more. Their entire case relied on TK’s eye witness account, without that it would never hold in court, unless they found the stolen goods in the hidden pocket of his jacket. But there was just something about him that made Carlos comfortable, too comfortable. He wanted to trust him.

“To fix the wall. Do you think I was just planning on leaving it all open like that? I always clean up after myself.”

“Right. Plus, a hole in the wall leading the vault really makes it obvious someone robbed the place.”

It was TK’s turn to look down, playing with his fingers nervously, as if considering what to do next. Carlos wanted to say something, maybe plead for his understanding, try to make him not hate him, but he felt he needed to give him time to process everything and reach his own conclusions. Rushing him could be dangerous.

“So... I didn’t tell them, you know, what I saw? Obviously they saw you exit through the same room where the access to the vault is. But the fire did a lot of damage, they can’t prove for sure that the wall was actually broken through. And it spread into the vault before we could take it out, it’ll take a while before they realise anything’s missing.”

TK took a breath. He was clearly having some trouble with this, like he was unsure about how much he should say.

“They’ve gone through all of your stuff. I don’t know how, you must have some tricks up your sleeve, but they didn’t find anything to prove you did it.” He looked back up at Carlos. “You’ll get to stay a free man, but they’re very suspicious of you. They know what you did, they just have no way to prove it. So you’ll have to be careful from now on.”

“I’m always careful.” Relief washed over him. He’d narrowly escaped going to prison and it was all thanks to TK. He was also confused, at how this came to be. “Why are you helping me?”

"I don't think you deserve to go to prison for trying to fix a broken system. What you’re doing is good, you’re actually helping people. More than the cops ever do. If breaking the law is the only thing that brings actual change in this country, then I guess that’s how it has to be. You’re not hurting anyone. And the men you steal from are too rich to really miss anything you take from them."

Police came to free him and TK left to get himself a cup of coffee while nurses and doctors processed his discharge. Once they were done, Carlos walked out in the hallway to free the room and let staff clean it for another patient. He thought he’d either wait there for TK to come back or just leave. He wasn’t sure what to do, after all they were still basically strangers to each other.

It was around dinner time by now and most of the hospital staff was either busy or taking a break to eat. The hallway was quiet and there was barely anyone there. Carlos stood nervously, constantly looking at one side then the other, wondering how long he should stay. TK might have said he’d be back, but he could’ve lied. Carlos didn’t have the best luck with guys, and TK was a very attractive firefighter. He had a good life, probably could get anyone he wanted, so why would he settle for a thief? Carlos’s time to question it was cut short when one of the cops working his case grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

“We’ll get you one day. Just because you managed to manipulate that firefighter into lying for you, doesn’t mean you’re safe.”

The cop pulled him closer and pushed him right back into the wall. He was practically spitting into his face as he spoke and seemed entirely unworried by the prospect of being seen doing this.

“We’ll be watching you. You step one toe out of line and we’ll get you, you understand me?”

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” TK came running in and pulled the cop off of Carlos. “You can’t threaten him like that! And he’s injured too. What the hell? Leave him alone.”

“Wow, he sure did quite a number on you, kid. Getting you to not only lie for him, but take his defense too. Impressive.”

TK punched the cop. Hard enough for him to lose his footing and fall to the ground. Carlos had noticed the muscles on his arms, but he never expected him to not only have the strength to take down a man twice his size, but also have the guts to do it.

“I didn’t lie, asshole.”

Carlos was too stunned to move, but thankfully TK still seemed to know what he was doing. He took his good hand and pulled him away, walking quickly toward the nearest elevator. Carlos got his voice back once they were alone again.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“What? It’s true, I didn’t lie. I may have withheld some of the truth, but I didn’t outright lie to them.”

“I meant take my defense, punch a cop for me. It was very nice, and very hot. But completely unnecessary. I would’ve been fine.”

“So, you think I’m hot?”

The teasing grin that accompanied those words was almost too much to bear, but Carlos couldn’t let himself fall for that. He couldn’t drag this wonderful man into the kind of life he’d chosen for himself, make him a pariah among people he had to work with. He’d probably get into enough trouble as it was for punching that cop, Carlos couldn’t risk making it worse. No matter how much he wanted to taste those lips. He took a deep breath, and tried to sound as serious as possible.

“I need to go away for a while. It’s become too risky here. I might need to take a break from all that for a while, until things quiet down.”

“Or you could steal stuff from museums, send it back where it belongs. It’s not your usual M.O. they might not realise it’s you.”

“Here I thought falling for an honest man would bring me back to the good side.”

“Can’t bring you back if you never left.” TK put his hands on either side of his waist and pulled him closer. “You’ll send me postcards? Vague ones that no one will be able to use to find you?”

“What makes you think I want to see you again? Maybe I just want to disappear and forget this place forever.”

“You’re the one who said you were falling for me. It’s a little fast, but you’re apparently not staying anyway.”

“I can’t drag you into this. I chose this life, you didn’t.”

“Then leave and forget about me if that’s what you want. But I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

There was no resisting anymore, it was pointless and ridiculously hard, and Carlos had no desire to keep doing it. He ran his hand through TK’s hair, let it rest on the nape of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He pushed TK gently against the wall and found himself getting pulled even closer. TK kissed him back fervently and their lips stayed locked together the rest of the way down. They only separated when the elevator doors opened in the lobby of the hospital. Carlos immediately missed feeling TK close to him. They shared a goodbye and he reluctantly disappeared.

For the first time in years, Carlos wished he had taken another path. One where his life wouldn’t force him to run away from TK.

* * *

With his last shift ending late because of that fire right at the end of it, and the fact he’d spent most of his 24 hours off at the hospital sitting in an uncomfortable chair next to a very attractive man he’d just met, TK hadn’t gotten much rest. Then he’d had trouble falling asleep, his mind filled with thoughts of Carlos, wondering where he might be and whether he’d be alright. His father teased him about looking like he could barely keep his eyes open on the drive to the station, but he was still a caring enough person that he asked if he was fine to work.

They were still having breakfast with the rest of the crew when a phone call from the chief of police came to ruin their nice quiet morning. TK knew what it had to be about, but he ate silently while the others shared their hypotheses. Some reasonable, some completely insane. When Owen got back, he had his angry captain face on. TK knew it well. But this time it was worse, because it was directed at him. He’d never got him to that point before, everything else he’d done always got him the angry dad face. There was no trace left of fatherly affection in Owen’s face, he was full on captain mode.

“Strand, my office, now!”

The use of his last name hurt even though his father always used it in serious, professional situations. TK stood and put his dishes away, dreading what would come next.

“Oh, brother, you’re in trouble.” Judd teased.

“What did you do?” Mateo said.

TK shook his head at them, signaling them to stop. Paul and Marjan got it.

“Come on, guys, let’s go do our chores.” Marjan said. “Whatever’s going on is none of our business.”

Paul gave TK a supportive tap on his shoulder as he followed his father toward his office, a sheepish look on his face. Owen was waiting for him. He gestured for him to get in and closed the door behind them. TK had time to notice the others getting to work downstairs around the truck in a very unsubtle way to look in at their conversation.

“You punched a cop? What were you thinking? Punching a cop to defend a thief, are you trying to get yourself arrested? To lose your job?”

He wasn’t exactly yelling, but it was close.

“But dad, you don’t get it, he was being a real jerk, and Carlos didn’t deserve it. He’s done nothing wrong.”

“Don’t dad me now, TK. This was reckless and stupid. I know you’ve made bad decisions in the past, but this is out of control.”

“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I swear that guy deserved it. I just lost my cool for a second.”

“Are you back on drugs? Is that it?”

“Dad, come on.”

“With the way you’ve acted the past two days, I had to ask. Lying to the cops, staying at the bedside of a man you’ve just met, who is very likely a thief-”

“A good thief. He’s like Robin Hood.”

“-and then punching a cop to defend him. Where’s your head, TK? You’re smarter than this.”

“Apparently not.”

“If you’re trying to be funny, stop. I just got off the phone with a very angry chief of police. He wanted me to fire you. Of course, I told him any of my firefighters were allowed a second chance, it’s one mistake and you have a good record. But this can’t go unpunished.”

A suspension. That was his punishment. TK was glad he at least got to finish this shift before it started, but then he had a month-long unpaid suspension to look forward to. The others asked what all this had been about, but he didn’t feel like talking about it. Not yet. Thankfully, the alarm rang before they had time to ask more questions.

They arrived at the scene of a car accident. A blue car had swerved off the road for an unknown reason and crashed down a hill into a tree. A passerby had called it in. Smoke was rapidly coming out of the vehicle. The driver was barely recognisable. He looked slightly familiar to TK, but he was DOA and his face was almost completely destroyed by glass shards. It wasn’t until they pulled his ID out of his pocket that TK’s heart sank. It was Carlos. The driver’s license had a picture of him, with the name Carlos Reyes on it.

TK turned away, working hard to hold back tears. Why did he feel that way? Why was he so overwhelmed by grief? He barely knew Carlos, he’d only just met him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, his dad. Owen didn’t understand, but he still cared about him. Enough to know when he wasn’t feeling well. He sent him off to wait in the truck for them to deal with this. Once they’d done their part and handed the scene to the police and medical examiner, they drove back to the station where Owen decided it’d be better if TK started his suspension early.

The walk home was long, but the fresh air felt good on TK’s face. He felt numb, like his emotions had shut down all the pain and confusion. Questions still wandered freely in his mind, in a way that made him want to scream at it to shut up. Questions like, why would a thief of that level carry his ID on him like that? How did he end up on that road nowhere near the airport when he’d strongly implied he wanted to leave the country? It didn’t make sense to him. But then, death rarely did.

TK unlocked his door to the smell of bacon, among other delicious foods. He stepped in, careful, wondering how that could possibly be. As he turned the corner and finally got a look at the kitchen, he noticed someone had cooked brunched. Carlos closed the door of the fridge, revealing himself, and jumping at the sudden intrusion.

“TK, you scared me, I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“ _I_ scared you? You broke into my house.”

“Technically, I didn’t. I picked the lock, I didn’t break anything.”

“How are you here? You were... I thought you were dead. We found you in that car, your ID was there and everything.”

“You think a man like me actually carries real ID? No, that was all staged. For the cops.”

TK was in shock. He was still trying to get a grasp on the fact that this was real. Carlos was here, in his home, alive. He was here and Owen wouldn’t be back until next morning. They had so much time together, just the two of them, with no distractions. So much time to get to know each other better. And TK was almost ready to get started, he only had one more question.

“How did you find where I live?”

“I have my ways, Tyler Kennedy Strand.”

Carlos walked around the kitchen island, pulled on the collar of TK’s yellow hoodie and kissed him.

“How did you manage to cook all this with a broken arm?”

“I have talents for things besides stealing, you know. I’m sure you have some other than being a badass firefighter too.”

“If that brunch’s any good, I might show you some of mine.”

He pulled Carlos into a passionate kiss. When he let go, he grabbed his hand and led him to the table where the food was waiting for them. His bowl of cereal already felt far away and he couldn’t wait to taste Carlos’s cooking.

“This all looks delicious.”

“Not as delicious as you.”

“Come on now, you can’t keep it PG just a little while longer?”

“Fine. But only because the food’s getting cold and it won’t taste as good if it’s not fresh.”

They talked about anything and everything while they ate. The food was excellent and it was nice to learn more about one another. TK wasn’t used to this, actually having a conversation before hooking up. It was new to him, but it felt just as exciting as the other way around. The anticipation, the deepening of their relationship, the idea that maybe it could go farther. TK had only recently gotten out of a serious relationship, but he had never felt as safe and comfortable around anyone than he did with Carlos. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something about this man. Something undeniable.

Later, as they lied tangled together on the couch, TK smiled brighter than he had in a very long time.


End file.
